We. Still. Need. Outfielders.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Doodoo.

[smg58]

Ashie62 wrote: OK, help me out please...who is the likely starting LF as of now?

The good news is that Alderson still has six weeks before ST to answer these questions (I'm assuming you're also going to ask about the starting CF and RF). Duda is the starting leftfielder as of now, but if I could swap him for somebody who has a bit less upside as a hitter but can actually play the outfield, I'd do it.

[Frayed Knot]

^ smg58 is Mo Vaughn today -- 11 years to the day after the trade that brought him to New York
^
^
^
^


Several of this crew spent the night chatting with Bobby V in his short-lived Queens restaurant about this and a variety of other topics just a day or two later.

[metirish]

11 years , wow

The Mets according to Bobby V were going to score over 800 runs with the revamped lineup.....they didn't of course.

[ashie62]

If doodoo is in LF is Nieuwenhuis in CF and RF to be determined?

There's little chance Baxter starts in the OF for the bulk of the season I hope...Nothing personal Mike.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Nieuwenhuis would probably platoon with Cowgill in center. And yes, at the moment the rightfielder is Baxter, but it may turn out to be Hairston.

[ashie62]

Oh dear God..help

I guess theres not much left out there but thats a pretty rough mix....

[Edgy MD]

The current outfield roster includes Baxter, Cowgill, Duda, Nieuwenhuis, and Jordany Valdespin, with Jamie Hoffman, Juan Lagares, and Cesar Puello on the outside. Maybe Raul Reyes, Matt den Dekker, Wilmer Flores, Joe Bonfe, and/or Cory Vaughn get looks too. And heck, maybe Vince Vaughn and Hippo Vaughn.

But it's December, of course, so calling out to the almighty may be premature. We knew this was where the team was thinnest going into the offseason.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'd actually be okay with an outfield of Hairston/Nieuwenhuis/Cowgill/Duda. Three of the four are young guys with something to prove. Since 2013 isn't likely to be a contending season, we can take the opportunity to let Kirk, Lucas, and Cow show what they can do. If even one of them proves that they ought to be in the mix for 2014, it would be one less hole to fill next winter.

[Ceetar]

Don't sell Mike Baxter short.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Can I sell him a coat and a pair of pants?

[Edgy MD]

[Ceetar]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Can I sell him a coat and a pair of pants?

as long as they're blue and and orange.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Ceetar wrote: Don't sell Mike Baxter short.

For reals-- 2nd best OBP on the TEAM, 3rd most value in last year's outfield (and he had half as many PAs as the two in front of him).

[ashie62]

Ceetar wrote: Don't sell Mike Baxter short.

He's 28, was dumped by the Padres..Has 260 career AB's and a couple of HR's....so, really?

He's a nice 5th OF.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

8 Hall of Famers are among the players the Padres have dumped. Also, Adrian Gonzalez, Tony Fernandez, and a host of other All-Stars. I'm not saying Baxter is an AS-in-waiting... I'm just saying, that measuring stick has the distinct whiff of boo'stink.

That he's had 260 PAs in parts of three seasons is a lot more indicative of the situations in which he found himself/what others thought of his ceiling/how hard he went into walls to preserve no-hitters than of his talent level or performance. Also, he's put up a .354 OBP in those PAs, and shown himself to be the best guy at not making outs in the current Met outfield. He's at worst a useful 5th OF, and maybe more, and that's virtually all that anybody here has said about him.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

The Mets signed Andrew Brown to a minor-league-spring-invite deal. MLB stats aren't much, but he hit .308 with 24 HRs and 98 RBI last season at Colorado Springs. Mostly a 1B-corner OF, played a little 3B as well.

[ashie62]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: 8 Hall of Famers are among the players the Padres have dumped. Also, Adrian Gonzalez, Tony Fernandez, and a host of other All-Stars. I'm not saying Baxter is an AS-in-waiting... I'm just saying, that measuring stick has the distinct whiff of boo'stink. That he's had 260 PAs in parts of three seasons is a lot more indicative of the situations in which he found himself/what others thought of his ceiling/how hard he went into walls to preserve no-hitters than of his talent level or performance. Also, he's put up a .354 OBP in those PAs, and shown himself to be the best guy at not making outs in the current Met outfield. He's at worst a useful 5th OF, and maybe more, and that's virtually all that anybody here has said about him.

Anyone for One year of Bobby Abreu for 7 million. I believe her is still out there.

[G-Fafif]

Relax. Rubin reports Justin Turner's got this one covered.

A team insider said Justin Turner actually should get strong consideration as a platoon outfielder too, despite no experience out there. That could also allow the Mets to have both Brandon Hicks and Omar Quintanilla on the roster as infielders.

I like that "a team insider" is necessary to dispense a juicy tidbit like this. You mean we can have BOTH Brandon Hicks and Omar Quintanilla? Don't toy with us, Mets. I mean, seriously, don't get our hopes up like that unless you mean it.

(OTOH, Quintanilla and Hicks each logged time for playoff teams last year, so to use a phrase I heard Andy Martino proffer on Hot Stove last night, they're winning players.)

[Mex17]

If this is a Turner vs. Brown vs. Bixler competition for the right-handed half of a RF platoon (assuming Cowgill is sharing CF with Nieuwenhuis) then put me in the Brown camp right now! At the very least, he is the only one who has shown any pop in his bat (albiet in AAA). Plusm he is the only one who is not a converted middle infielder.

[Ceetar]

G-Fafif wrote: Relax. Rubin reports Justin Turner's got this one covered. A team insider said Justin Turner actually should get strong consideration as a platoon outfielder too, despite no experience out there. That could also allow the Mets to have both Brandon Hicks and Omar Quintanilla on the roster as infielders. I like that "a team insider" is necessary to dispense a juicy tidbit like this. You mean we can have BOTH Brandon Hicks and Omar Quintanilla? Don't toy with us, Mets. I mean, seriously, don't get our hopes up like that unless you mean it. (OTOH, Quintanilla and Hicks each logged time for playoff teams last year, so to use a phrase I heard Andy Martino proffer on Hot Stove last night, they're winning players.)

The Mets have no SS depth and they have plenty of (albeit mostly crappy) OF depth. This is sloppy connecting the dots at best. I hope they re-sign Cedeno (or did he go somewhere already?) but right now Turner and Quintanilla (and Hicks..did they sign anyone else?) are it for backup SS. They need 1 in Queens, sure, but they probably need some in Vegas. It doesn't look like anyone is particularly ready for promotion there, and Flores stepped aside to third last year.

[smg58]

The primary role of any reserve on a National League team is to pinch hit, so hitting should generally take priority over fielding. I'd much rather see Turner work on his defense at second and short than in the outfield. The same goes for Valdespin. If they make the team, you want it to come at the expense of a weak-hitting infielder rather than a decent-hitting outfielder.

[Edgy MD]

Well, Valdespin certainly showed himself capable as a pinch-hitter.

[Frayed Knot]

Wasn't good at much else, but he sure was a capable pinch-hitter.

[Vic Sage]

Depends on definition of "capable".

First of all, its an assessment based on 47 plate appearances last year. That's too small a sample size to feel comfortable about projecting how he'd do in that role going forward.
Secondly, while he certainly had some big pinch HRs (5) and RBIs (10), he also hit .214 in that role, with an OB% under .300. Again, too small a sample to know if he could maintain either the great power rate or terrible hitting rate.

Until a guy has established himself over time, PHing is like relief pitching in that, due to small sample sizes, performance can be radically inconsistent from season to season. That's why its hard to put together a reliable bullpen or bench that stays together for a period of time.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Valdespin: pinch hitting :: lightning strikes : home energy

[Edgy MD]

I certainly didn't say his performance level was sustainable. But the record certainly demonstrated he was capable.

[ashie62]

It would appear all will have a chance to compete for the OF....If Hairston does sign I see him as a 400 AB type option so the rest would be competing for those other AB's and filling in left and center...

[ashie62]

The OF options never seem to cease!

[Mex17]

It looks like they are going to go with this array of Duda/Nieuwenhuis/Cowgill/Baxter/Brown, platoon heavily, and see how it shakes out while maintaning cost control/"payroll flexibility" going into 2014. Oddly, I'm actually OK with this. Maybe, just maybe, out of this something useful can rise to the top (if even only for platoon or depth purposes going forward).

I am still of the opinion that, if Santana pitches well in the first half, he will be able to net us one good OF prospect so long as we pay the remainder of the 2013 salary AND the $5 million buyout. So, IMO, we should be able to get 1/3 of next year's OF out of Johan.

Then, now that we are establishing/assuming that there is money to spend next winter, here is a list of the free agents that ought to be available. . .

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/02/2014-mlb-free-agents.html

Out of this, I have picked out some names that I like (varying levels of age, production, and financial committment):

Mike Morse
David Murphy
Martin Prado
Ellsbury
Granderson
Choo
Nelson Cruz
Corey Hart
Hunter Pence

Not a bad list to choose from. Depending on other factors, hopefully we can look at locking up one or two of these options. If we do not get one superstar, then maybe we get two productive pieces.

Plus, it is possible in my mind that Flores can fit into second base and be a source of offense from a somewhat non-traditional spot. If that happens, then Murphy becomes a tradable asset. If Flores cannot handle second but still hits, then he a a huge chip for a trade as a third base prospect that we would not need. I think that at this point can assume that we willl also be getting plus offense long-term from another somewhat non-traditional area, that being catcher.

All of this will take time (probably most of the season, or at least until the All-Star Break) to play out, so with that said, I am actually OK with the approach that they are taking right now with the outfield. Never would have thunk it when the winter started.

Edited January 6, 2013 by Guest